Lone Star and the Hangrope Heritage

By Wesley Ellis

number 23 of 153

Jove, July 1984

Who was the mysterious gunman who burst into Jessie’s room shivering with fear? He had come to talk, to tell everything he knew about the cartel, the mortal enemy of the Starbuck empire. But as he opened his mouth to speak, a well-aimed bullet struck him dead.

Now all Jessie and Ki had to go by was a faded old photograph the gunman claimed was the “key.” It wasn’t much of a clue, but it might unlock the secret plot in time to save Jessie’s life!

This story features Ki more than Jessie, she almost takes a backseat in this fast-paced action-packed episode in the Lone Star series. The Lone Star duo have to do some investigative work to discover who the photograph is of and why it is so important. What it leads to is a devious plot where life is cheap and no-one is safe. Double-cross, hooded riders and sensual women combine in a page-turning read.

The Lone Star books are classed as adult westerns and they do contain explicit sex scenes but don’t let that put you off reading them as these encounters are easy to skip and you’ll be left with a gripping tale of intrigue, gunfights and martial arts – Ki is a martial arts expert and prefers to use his talents in this kind of fighting rather than using traditional western weapons.

I believe the person behind the pseudonym of Wesley Ellis this time around is Jeffery M. Wallmann, who wrote book one in the series along with many others. I usually find this writers’ work to be very entertaining and this book is right up there with his best. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I’m sure I’ll be reading another Lone Star book very soon.

The Lone Star series may long be out of print but they are now available as ebooks.

Lone Star #21

LONE STAR AND THE APACHE REVENGE

as by Wesley Ellis
Jove, May 1984

Half-breed James “Two Wolves” Campbell had only one thing in mind: to kill the man who had poisoned his people and used the Apaches to spread terror in the West. In him, Ki met his match in battle, and Jessie found some of the most passionate moments of her life. Together they fought to uproot the greatest evil the West had ever known.

This is an easy to read, action packed, story that has Jessie and Ki riding alongside a great character in James Campbell, a man who gets his hooks into Jessie’s emotions, allowing the author to show a more vulnerable side to Jessie than other books have done, particularly when Two Wolves foresees his own death.

At first you wonder as to the outcome as Jessie is planning to do business with Lowell Henry, the man Campbell wants to kill, causing a conflict of interests for Jessie.

There are some great descriptions of hand-to-hand combat and plenty of gunfights as the story races to its savage conclusion.

I did wonder as to why the book was called Apache Revenge as Two Wolves is half Comanche, but that’s only a slight criticism, as there is a little bit of Apache revenge near the end.

In conclusion this was a very enjoyable entry into this long running series.

Lone Star #19

LONE STAR ON THE OWLHOOT TRAIL

as by Wesley Ellis

Jove, February 1984

His real name was Von Eismann. Captured by Ki, sentenced to life for murder and sedition, now the dreaded German has escaped from the hellhole of Yuma Prison. When Eismann’s cronies kidnap Babette, the beautiful chanteuse who is also the warden’s daughter, Jessie and Ki must save the girl and bring the outlaws in.

This was a book I was looking forward to; the return of Von Eismann, the Iceman. An employee of the Cartel who Jessie and Ki had battled with in a number of previous books.

The writer behind the pseudonym of Wesley Ellis this time is Jeffrey M. Wallmann, who, wrote many books in the series including the first one.

Unfortunately this book didn’t live up to the expectations I had for it and Wallmann’s writing. I just didn’t find it very gripping and it came across very much as a formula western. Yes it was entertaining and had moments of exciting reading, especially Ki and Eismann’s fights, but at times it just seemed to plod along. Maybe it was also due to the fact that the two previous Lone Star books I read were so good?

Still this is a must read for those following the confrontations between the Lone Star Duo and The Iceman but if you’re new to the series I’d suggest trying a different one first.

Lone Star #18

LONE STAR AND THE GHOST PIRATES

as by Wesley Ellis

Jove, January 1984

Making a mint off a defenceless, sugar-rich nation: that’s what the Baron and his men have in mind when they camouflage a fleet of Starbuck ships sailing from New Orleans to Cuba. But even an obstacle course of explosives, cunning rurales, and the hangman’s noose isn’t enough to throw Jessie and Ki off their trail.

This book makes for a welcome change to the normal land based westerns as quite a lot of it takes place at sea. The first part of the plot revolving around a number of ships that vanish into thin air.

Jessie and Ki – particularly Ki – get into all kinds of trouble as they attempt to solve this mystery and then take down those behind the disappearances. The main plot of trying to control America’s sugar market isn’t something you come across in many, if any other, westerns (at least those I've read), and so gives the reader a pretty unique storyline in a western.

I don’t know who wrote this one but wish I did so I could track down more of his/her work as I found the book to be a fast paced and satisfying read.

Lone Star #17

LONE STAR AND THE SAN ANTONIO RAID

as by Wesley Ellis

Jove, December 1983

Doc Holliday…Clay Allison…John Harrow…and two hundred more of the West’s worst badmen had gathered in a secret riverside camp – and the cartel that had always menaced the Starbucks was behind it somehow. Their lives in danger every minute, Ki and Jessie go in disguised as a cook and a whore. They find enough bandits to knock off a whole city…but they still don’t know where the raiders will strike…

It is such a shame that the covers to this series give the impression of the books being of the western romance type rather than the tough action filled reads that they really are.

This entry into the series was written by Neal Barrett Jr. and he provides a fast moving and gripping read. The book jumps between Jessie and Ki’s struggles to discover who is behind the outlaw gathering and its purpose.

There are many superbly drawn characters and a shocking revelation at the end to the identity of one. There are plenty of red-herrings too as to the target, which the author keeps secret until he’s ready to reveal it, (although this is given away by the books’ title – why do they do that?). Towards the end the book becomes a race against time which ends in a brutal and bloody battle.

Definitely one of the best Lone Star books I’ve read.

Lone Star #20

LONE STAR ON THE DEVIL’S TRAIL

as by Wesley Ellis

Jove, April 1984

Driving two thousand head of cattle from the Starbuck ranch in Texas all the way to Dodge City is no easy task, but a flood that’s put the railroad out of commission leaves Jessie and Ki with no choice. Drought, prairie fires, renegade Indians, and even an attack by a panther are just part of the job…a killer who’s determined to see Jessie dead is something else entirely!

This is an easy to read and well written book that moves along at a cracking pace and, although it offers little new in cattle drive stories, has some exciting moments along the way, such as Jessie and her horse battling a family of wolves.

Wesley Ellis – in this case William C. Knott – builds his story through incident after incident until the final savage showdown between the killer, Jessie and Ki. In fact Ki has little to do in this story until this last fight.

The obligatory sex scenes almost come across as padding as neither have much to do with the trail drive or assassination plots of the story.

All in all a pretty straightforward tale that’s good enough to satisfy readers looking for a bit of escapism and light entertainment.

Lone Star #16

LONE STAR and the BADLANDS WAR

as by Wesley Ellis

Jove Nov. 1983

There’s trouble brewing in the Dakotas and a Starbuck ranch is right at its center. To head off violence, Jessie Starbuck and her Samurai bodyguard Ki, go north – and step into a full-blown range war. As Ki tangles with the local guns, Jessie takes on a mad Marquis who won’t stop at murder in his bid to take over the territory…

A series of books of which I have read many, most of which I’ve enjoyed. Not a lot of fighting action in this one, although the book does build to a violent final showdown. Not a surprise to find the Marquis is backed by the Cartel either, who Jessie has been fighting since the death of her father at the beginning of the series.*

The book was entertaining enough and well written, the inclusion of Theodore Roosevelt came over as credible too, he sides Jessie throughout most of the story.

Not a bad entry into the series but in my humble opinion there are better in this long running series – the series reached #153 books.

*This story is told in the first Longarm giant edition, Longarm and the Lone Star Legend. The first book of the Lone Star series begins after that title.

Lone Star #15

Lone Star and the Mexican Standoff

as by Wesley Ellis

Jove, October 1983

This series features a female lead, Jessica Starbuck and her bodyguard Ki, a series that ran for 153 books. Later on I feel the series became a bit hit and miss in quality but most of the earlier books strike home well, and this one is no exception.

A cutthroat gang is carving out a reign of terror along the Mexican border. And they’re also headed toward Purgatory Gorge with a load of dynamite that’ll blow the Congressional train from Washington sky high. But the renegades don’t know that Jessie Starbuck and her faithful companion, Ki, will be following close behind to snuff out the fireworks and make good on a personal debt that’s long overdue…

In this tale Jessie and Ki become involved with a Mexican rebel army attempting to overthrow President Diaz. Seems the rebels are hiding out in America. Representatives from both Mexico and America are to meet and team up in tackling this problem. Jessie is representing Texas.

The action comes thick and fast from the first page with assassination attempts, two kidnappings and a massacre all happening in the first thirty or so pages. And it doesn’t let up there as Jessie and Ki fight to stop the Congressional train being destroyed and everyone on her killed.

Along with the bandits they have land hungry ranchers and double-cross to deal with in their race against time. Not only that the Cartel is involved too, and a man they thought dead, a man fought a number of times before, is back!

Well worth checking out.

The writer behind the pseudonym of Wesley Ellis this time is Jeffrey M. Wallmann.